Q&A with George Papandreou

Optimistic after negotiating an emergency bailout deal with fellow E.U. member states, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou sat down with TIME contributor Nicole Itano in his office at the Maximos Mansion in Athens this week. Highlights:

How much did you know about the situation Greece was in before you came to office? How big a surprise was this crisis to you? We all knew, and I knew personally, that Greece was going through a crisis, but the level of the impact of the crisis on the economy was not known. (See pictures...